Supporting table for patients

ABSTRACT

A supporting table for patients, preferably intended for the ray therapy, has plates for supporting the patient which are carried by a table frame. The invention is particularly characterized in that these plates are optically clear transparent.

nite States Patent Scheninger 1 Oct. 2, 1973 Y SUPPORTING TABLE FOR PATIENTS [56] References Cited [75] Inventor: Ludwig Scheninger, Erlangen, UNITED STATES PATENTS Germany 3,l2l,l67 2/l964 Latson 250/54 3,197,198 7/1965 Collis 250/54 s'emms Ammgesellschm 2,989,634 6/l96l Ould 250/66 Erlangen, Germany [22] Filed: Mar. 3, 1972 Primary Examiner-James W. Lawrence Assistant Examiner-C. E. Church [21] Appl' 23l482 Att0rneyRichards & Geier [30] Foreign Application Priority Data [57] ABSTRACT Oct. 26, 1971 Germany P 21 53 363.l A supporting table for patients preferably intended for the ray therapy, has plates for supporting the patient [52] US. Cl. 250/444, 250/451 which are carried by a table frame The invention is [51] Int. Cl. G03b 41/16 particularly characterized in that these plates are 0pm [58] Fleld of Search 250/54, 55, 56, 57, Cally clear transparent 1 Claim, 3 Drawing Figures SUPPORTING TABLE FOR PATIENTS This invention relates to a supporting table, preferably for use in ray ther py, having supporting plates for the patient which are carried by a table frame.

Supporting tables for patients are known in ray therapy wherein a table frame with several removably mounted supporting plates for the patient is mounted upon a central table support. It is also known to construct the frame of such tables partially as a central supporting beam and partially as double beam frames extending along longitudinal sides of the table. This construction of the supporting table makes it possible for the doctor to set the illumination field and the path along which the ray source is to be moved relatively to the patient during illumination, solely on the basis of the requirements of the patient, since when the patient is correspondingly placed all parts of the table which could influence the dose distribution can be removed from the range of the rays. Nevertheless the fixing of the path of movement of the ray source during illumination produces substantial difficulties since when selecting the direction of rays it is necessary to take into consideration the tissue located in the ray direction in front of and in the back of the body part being provided with rays. It is often necessary to swing the ray source under the plane of the supporting table. In order to provide direction upon markings placed upon the skin of the patient with the use of the light finder of the ray source, it is necessary to remove supporting plates from the table frame during the adjusting operations. These adjusting operations are rather difficult for the operators. Furthermore, a very sick patient cannot be expected to lie for a lengthy time period upon a supporting table from which plates have tobe removed for any reason whatsoever.

An object of the present invention is to improve prior art constructions.

Another object is to make more convenient the adparent. Due to this arrangement all markings provided.

upon the skin of a patient including those inscribed upon his back, are useable withoutit being necessary to first remove a supporting plate. Markings provided upon the back of a patient can be treated through the supporting plate with the light finder of the ray source. This provides the possibility of not removing the supporting plates during the entire adjusting. period. This saves time and creates more comfort for the patient.

According to a further development of the present invention the supporting plates consituting a carrier for the patient, are each composed of a frame portion and an optically clearly transparent plastic plate, for example, a plate of acrylic glass, fixed to the frame portion. Acrylic glass is a material which is sufficiently clearly transparent optically, which has little absorption for X- rays and gamma rays and which receives illumination with adequatehomogenityyit can be easily cleaned and due to its small heat transmission relatively to glass it prevents excessive cooling of the-engaging skin portions.

According to a further improvement of the present invention a considerably better positioning of the patient can be achieved, particularly during illumination, when each of the supporting plates consists of a frame portion, a clamping device fixed to the frame portion and a support for the patient fixed between the frame portion and the, clamping device and consisting of an optically clear transparent foil. Supporting plates constructed in this manner can remain inside the range of rays during actual illumination of the patient due to their transparency during the setting of the ray source and due to the fact that they practically do not weaken the gamma rays. This makes it possible to make the patient more comfortable also during illumination.

The invention will appear more clearly from the fol lowing detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing showing by way of example only, a preferred embodiment of the inventive idea.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a supporting table of thepresent invention with removable supporting plates.

- FIG. 2 is a partial section showing the attachment of a supporting plate to a central carrying beam.

FIG. 3 is a partial section showing a supporting plate for the double beam section of the table frame, wherein an optically clear transparent foil is used as the supporting surface for the patient.

FIG. 1 shows a patients supporting table 1 having a base column 2, a table frame 3 and supporting plates 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 mounted upon the table frame. The table frame consists partly of a central supporting beam 9 and partly of a double beam frame 10 extending along the longitudinal sides of the supporting table. The supporting plates include frame portions ll 12, l3and 14 mounted upon the table frame 3 and serving as carriers for the flat parts carrying the patient. As such patient carrying parts are used partially firm plates l5, l6 and 17 of acrylic glass fixed to theframe parts l1, l2 and 13 and partially an optically clear transparent foil 19 tensioned between the frame part 14 and a clamping device 18 fixed upon this frame part. The supporting plate 5 covering the table carrier 2 is the only one which is covered in the usual manner with a nontransparent plastic plate 20. Slide holders 21-, 22, 23,

- 24, 25, 26 and 27 are fixed to the frame parts 11, 12

and 13 directly below the acrylic glass plates 15, 16 and 17 and the foil 19.

As shown in FIG. 2 two pairs of longitudinally extending guide rails 28, 29, 30 and 31 are soldered on both sides of the central beam 9. Frame'parts 1 2, 13 and 14 of supporting plates 6, 7 and 8 which can befixed in this section of the table frame on both sides of the central beam, are provided with guide members 32' and 33 which can be brought into engagement with the longitudinally extending guide rails 28, 29; 30 and 31 which is firmly clamped by clamping devices 37 and 38.

Directly below the foil a slide holder 39 is attached to the frame portion 35 so as to be swin'gable downwardly about a horizontal axis 40.

When a patient is mounted upon the table 1 for ray treatment, all markings provided upon his skin, even those upon which he is directly lying, are visible due to the optically clear transparent plates 4, 6, 7, 8, 34. The shadow cross of the view finder of the ray source also passes through the plates and can be projected upon the skin of the patient. In this manner the path which the shadow cross of the view finder follows upon the skin of the patient when the ray source is swung, can be actually followed around the patient. The shadow cross can be easily moved to cover the markings located upon the skin of the patient. If it is necessary to fix the locations of inner organs, X-ray film slides can be inserted into the slide holders 22 to 27 of the supporting plates 6, 7, 8. Slide holders 21, 39 in the double beam section can be swung downwardly for the insertion and removal of a slide. During all these operations the removal of the individual supporting plates is not necessary anymore, so that the patient can lie upon the table uniformly supported by the plates during the entire setting operation. However, the uniform support of the patient is also provided for the duration of the ray treatment, without there being any drawbacks from straying rays, if in each section which is covered by the ray cone there is a supporting plate 8, 34 provided with a tensioned foil.

The adaptation of the position of the supporting plats to the set ray range is greatly facilitated by the use of supporting plates of different widths and their capacity of moving in the longitudinal direction of the table.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 3 can be changed in the section of the double beam by mounting the acrylic glass plates directly upon the double beam 10 while eliminating the frame and by swingably attaching the slide holders to the double beams.

I claim:

I. A patient supporting table comprising a central supporting beam along the longitudinal axis of the table,

means for supporting said beam above floor level,

guide rails mounted on and extending the length of said beam,

a plurality of frames each carrying optically transparent plastic plate means for supporting a patient, guide means affixed to each of said frames for engaging said guide rails and for removably securing said frames and plate means to said beam, and radiographic slide holding means pivotally attached to one of said frames. 

1. A patient supporting table comprising a central supporting beam along the longitudinal axis of the table, means for supporting said beam above floor level, guide rails mounted on and extending the length of said beam, a plurality of frames each carrying optically transparent plastic plate means for supporting a patient, guide means affixed to each of said frames for engaging said guide rails and for removably securing said frames and plate means to said beam, and radiographic slide holding means pivotally attached to one of said frames. 